---
title: 'Methodology'
description: The principles common to every AI Analytics report — confidence levels, data scope, filtering, anti-double-counting, carbon accounting and the role of AI.
section: AI Analytics
weight: 2
related:
  - ai-analytics/formula-reference
  - ai-analytics/fleet-reports/decarbonization
---

import Alert from '@/components/docs/Alert.astro';

These are the principles common to all AI Analytics reports. They explain **why the figures can be trusted** and where the boundaries of trust lie.

## Methodological principles

1. **Mathematical reproducibility.** Every numeric metric has a formula: archive coverage, data freshness, trailing gap, uncovered volume, Q/V delta, sensor state, passport completeness, incident priority.
2. **Separation of facts, computations and assumptions.** Measured data, computed estimates, heuristic indicators and hypotheses are shown separately. An uncovered-volume estimate is not a confirmed loss; a suspicious pattern is not proof of tampering.
3. **Historical period separated from current state.** Data of the selected period is assessed separately from current telemetry. A node can have a usable historical archive but degraded current monitoring — or the other way around.
4. **Formal thresholds instead of arbitrary interpretation.** Statuses (`OK / Warning / Major / Critical / Ready / Not Ready / Aligned / Mismatch / Incomplete`) are defined by numeric conditions; you see exactly which threshold fired.
5. **Hard rules for critical conclusions.** Some conclusions are impossible without mandatory data: no hourly archive → no under-metering estimate; no event log → no confirmed tampering; no passport → no full commercial verdict.
6. **Metrological caution.** A stuck sensor, zero flow, flat pressure or an archive gap are not automatically a violation — they are incidents that require verification.
7. **Audit-readiness.** Every status and recommendation carries its explanation: which data were used, which formula was applied, which threshold fired and which limits apply.

<Alert type="warning" title="Hard limit">
The analytics is a tool for control and action-preparation. It does **not** replace metrological verification, a legal procedure, an on-site inspection or an act of establishing a violation. Its job is to show quickly, transparently and reproducibly where the data are usable, where there is risk, and which actions to take.
</Alert>

## Data scope

Before running a report, you set the **scope** — which data enters the calculation.

| Slice | What it means | How it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Company | limit the fleet to a single supplier; "all companies" — the entire available fleet | select a company |
| Metering node | one specific device/corrector (for node-level reports) | select a node |
| Period | analysis window: 30 days by default; for annual economics, a year | "from" and "to" dates |

A **node-level** report answers about one device — for example, how long its battery will last. A **fleet-level** report answers about many devices at once — for example, which hundred nodes lose the most gas.

**If there is no data.** When the selected company has no data for the period, the report honestly states the absence of data and **does not substitute** general "all companies" figures. An empty result is a signal to widen the scope or period, not a reason to trust a random number.

## How to read a report

Start with the summary at the top — it gives the key figures in a few seconds. Further sections go in descending order of importance: what is critical, what is under observation, what is for reference. In economic reports, first look at **what portion of the data** the conclusion rests on (see confidence levels below).

A finished report is **reproducible**: with the same scope and period it yields the same result.

## Three confidence levels for figures

Every figure is tagged with one of three levels — this guards against overstated promises:

- **Confirmed** — a measurable effect on real fleet data. Payback and ROI are built only on this.
- **Scenario** — a model estimate based on industry standards; requires verification against the company's accounting policy. Shown separately, not included in payback.
- **Possible** — potential income upon meeting a condition (for example, selling CO₂ credits when a contract exists). Disabled by default.

## How the totals stay honest

**Filtering out "empty" nodes.** Before calculating, nodes that would distort the total are removed: those long out of contact, with near-zero annual consumption (a dummy device), and without a monthly consumption archive. Only the "live" fleet is counted; how many nodes were filtered out and why is shown in the report.

**Calculation from actual consumption, not "average × number of nodes".** Averages are deceptive: one factory equals a hundred apartments. Gas money is calculated from the **actual sum** of real annual consumption from each node's monthly archive. If there is no data, the item is tagged "no data" rather than filled with an estimate.

**Protection against double counting.** Some benefit streams rely on the same physical gas (gas losses, billing accuracy, CO₂ credits). To avoid counting the same money twice, such streams are tagged as alternatives and enter the total only once.

**Extrapolation "sample → fleet".** Link quality can be assessed on a sample of nodes (for example, 200) — enough for a large fleet. When a sample result is extended to the whole fleet, an **explicit scaling factor** and an "extrapolation" tag are shown, so sample figures are not passed off as fleet-wide ones.

**Link availability.** Availability is measured against a realistic expectation: the benchmark is **one communication session per day**, not per hour. This gives an honest "how many sessions arrived out of expected" metric.

**A node's personal norm.** In control reports, the norm is determined by the node itself and its neighbors (similar nodes), rather than by a single threshold for all. Nodes that fall outside their own norm are highlighted — this is how metering bypass and anomalies are found.

## Carbon methodology (CO₂e)

Emission reductions are calculated using the international methodology: the global warming potential of methane per IPCC AR6 — 28 over 100 years and 84 over 20 years. The result is presented as a business metric — tonnes of CO₂e per year; the monetary equivalent only with a confirmed contract on the carbon market.

## Currencies

Money is shown in a single display currency; rates can be overridden manually. The conversion is given in one line, without burdening every cell with dual currency.

## The role of AI

Optionally, a report can include a short management summary written by AI. It helps to quickly grasp the essence, but **does not affect the calculations** and can be turned off with a single parameter. All figures are calculated by deterministic formulas, not by AI.

The AI commentary **can** answer: what is the main problem of the node; which risks are visible from the computed metrics; which action to take first; why current monitoring status differs from historical archive status; which hypotheses require verification. It **cannot**: change a commercial metering verdict, raise or lower its legal weight, confirm tampering, or create evidence where there is none in the data.

## Limitations

Reports are an assessment for prioritizing management and operational decisions, **not a financial audit and not a metrological act**. Confirmed figures rely on measured fleet data; scenario and possible figures rely on models and conditions the company must verify for itself. When data covers less than a third of the fleet, the conclusion is tagged premature: first build up coverage, then count money.

## Glossary

| Term | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Metering node | a gas measurement point (device/corrector at an object) |
| Corrector | a device that brings gas volume to standard conditions |
| Telemetry | data that the device transmits over the link |
| Communication session | one instance of the device connecting and transmitting data |
| Availability (uptime) | the share of sessions that took place out of those expected |
| RSSI | the device's link signal level |
| Monthly archive | a month-by-month record of consumption in the device's memory |
| Confirmed / scenario / possible | three confidence levels for a figure |
| CO₂e | the emissions equivalent expressed in carbon dioxide terms |
| GWP | the global warming potential of a gas |
| TCO | total cost of ownership over the service life |
| ROI / payback | return on investment / the period to recover it |